Running for nearly a decade, The Flash became one of the most popular shows on CW’s Arrowverse. Starring Grant Gustin in the titular role, the show also introduced several beloved characters from the DC comics and helped several actors earn a special place among fans.
Among them was Hartley Sawyer, who joined the show in Season 4 as Ralph Dibny, aka Elongated Man. However, his journey on the superhero show was cut short after controversial racist and misogynistic tweets from his past resurfaced, resulting in his firing, which continues to be a frequent subject of fan discussions.
Hartley Sawyer Was Fired From The Flash After Resurfaced Controversial Tweets
After joining The Flash as Ralph Dibny, a private investigator who became a member of Team Flash, Hartley Sawyer was fired from the series in 2020 after his old tweets containing racist and misogynistic remarks resurfaced.
“Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for Season 7 of The Flash,” said a joint statement released by Warner Bros. TV, The CW, Berlanti Production, and The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace. The statement also posed, as per The Hollywood Reporter,
In regards to Mr. Sawyer’s posts on social media, we do not tolerate derogatory remarks that target any race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation. Such remarks are antithetical to our values and policies, which strive and evolve to promote a safe, inclusive, and productive environment for our workforce.
The tweets in question were posted by the actor before he joined the series, reportedly dating back to 2012-2014. Although Sawyer deleted his Twitter account, screenshots of the offensive tweets continued to circulate online.
The deleted tweets included not only racist comments but also derogatory sexist remarks and some disturbing references, prompting the showrunner and his fellow castmates, including Grant Gustin, to express shock and disappointment with his choice of words.
Fans Debate Over Hartley Sawyer’s Firing from The Flash
Amid the backlash, Sawyer shared an apology on Instagram, expressing that he was “sorry, ashamed, and disappointed in myself for my ignorance back then.” He stated,
My words, irrelevant of being meant with an intent of humor, were hurtful, and unacceptable. I am ashamed I was capable of these really horrible attempts to get attention at that time. I regret them deeply.
The apology remains his last Instagram post, with his account seemingly inactive since 2020. Sawyer himself has not taken on new roles since his time on The Flash, where his character’s final appearance was in Season 7, Episode 3, titled Mother.
The showrunner concluded Ralph’s story by having him and Sue leave Team Flash to focus on taking down organizations like the Black Hole. Since then, Sawyer has not appeared in any projects beyond the superhero series.
In a recent Reddit thread, fans of the show discussed the harsh reality of cancel culture in Hollywood while reflecting on his departure from The Flash.
“Guy probably can never work in Hollywood again and you got rid of a character a lot of fans liked,” one Reddit user said, arguing that if “James Gunn can get redemption pretty quickly for s*it he posted on Twitter years ago, why couldn’t Hartley Sawyer?”
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Others echoed the sentiment, expressing sympathy for Sawyer and noting that he has been absent from the industry, as though he has been “essentially blacklisted.” Many also argued that his firing not only derailed his career but also harmed the show by removing one of its most beloved characters.
The Flash is available to watch on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire